Emerald Potter
by Mattimo
Summary: The Potters survived because of some unknown reason. Harry had an older sister, named Emerald. Slytherin, book lover and finding a friend in a certain Potion Master, can this lead to anything other than a disaster?
1. Chapter 1

_Hiiii, guys! I know, I constantly post new stories. I'm sorry. I just suffer from a writers block in all the others. But I've made a much better plan in this one, so I have ideas to chapters long into the future. I promise. Well, I hope you like it! Please ignore any possible writing errors. __**I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR THE CHARACTERS FROM THE BOOKS. I ONLY OWN EMERALD AND THE OTHER PEOPLE I MAKE UP ON THE WAY. I ALSO OWN SOME OF THE STORYLINE, BUT ONLY THE ONE I MAKE UP.**_

_****_**Chapter 1: The Potters survived**

*****LILY'S P.O.V*

My head was throbbing. My body was aching. The smell of burny wood and the winter filled the air. Everything was completely quiet. Too quiet. There was no sound at all other than my own heavy breathing and the cracking of a fire far away. Suddenly there was a baby's cry, making my eyes snap open. Harry!  
I was lying on the floor in Harry's bedroom. The roof had been blasted off, and everything lay in ruins around me. It was pitch dark, so I could barely make out the tiny form of my baby boy on the other side of the room. I tried getting up, but my limbs were so heavy. It didn't help that I was completely covered in wood. Several minutes passed, and I struggeled against my own body to get up. In the end I managed to drag myself over to the crib where Harry was. All I can say was that I was really shocked when I got my eyes on him. On Harry's forhead was a bright, red lightning bolt scar. Harry started to cry when he got his eyes on me, letting me know that he was really scared.

"Oh, love, shush. It's alright. Mommy's here."

I lifted my baby boy out of the crib and onto my lap. It wasn't before that that the panic started to kick in. How was I even alive? Voldemort had killed me, hadn't he? Where was he anyway? How was Harry alive? And what about... JAMES?!

"Jams? James! James!?"

Second by second the hysteria was growing. Had James survived? I took Harry up into my arms and ran over to the door. I already saw that it would be jammed, but I felt my head spinning more and more. After a while I gave up with the yelling, and started to just bang at the door with all my strenght, hoping and praying for an answer.

"James!? Please, is anybody there?"

I let myself sink onto the floor, the tears following closly behind. I really wanted to pull myself together seeing that Harry looked more confused than ever now. I so wanted to just hug him tightly and tell him that everything was going to be alright, but I couldn't. I couldn't even tell myself that, so why should I tell him?

"Lily? Lily!" I could hear a bunch of loud noises from downstairs, and someone hurrying up the stairs. At last there was someone banging at the door from the other side.

"Hello?" I yelped with all my might. I gurried back to my feet and stopped to listen at the door.

"Lily?" The voice sounded desperate. "Lily, it's James. Are you alright? Is Harry -" he stopped, probably imagining the worst.

"We're alright! Alive and breathing." I answered. Once again I tried to force the door open, without success. "James? The door is jammed, I can't get it open. And I can't find my wand anywhere. We need to get to Dumbledore."

*30 MINUTES LATER*

If it hadn't been for James's warm, comforting hand I would probably have fainted. That happy memory of a couple of hours back seemed so far off. It felt like years ago. Harry was asleep in my arms now. It was in the middle of the night after all, waaay past his bedtime.  
The quick pace from Hogsmead to Dumbledore's office was never ending. Several times I would look over at James and see the same horrified and tense look that I probably had. On the same time, I couldn't help but wonder over my own body and his. We looked like zombies. Like dead people rising from the grave.  
We reached Dumbledore's office in the end, me thanking god that we knew the password. James was just about to open the door, when we heard several voices coming from within. I swear that I was close to the breaking point when I heard what they were talking about.

"They can't be! No. Never! You're lying! Sirius would never betray them like that. He and James were inseperable!"

"Remus, listen to the facts -"

"No! You listen. IT. IS. IMPOSSIBLE!"

It shocked me what we heard after that. Lots of creaking and then, sudddenly, the sound of glass objects being broken. As long as I had known Remus, I had never heard him really snap before. He had always been so calm. Even calmer than Dumbledore himself. His broken voice and his reaction completely broke my heart.

"Remus, calm down for gods sake!" Moody snapped at him.

"What Alastor here is trying to tell you is that there is so much more. You see, Mr. Black didn't only betray the Potters. He went after and blew up Mr. Pettigrew, too, together with the 13 muggle witnesses."

The silence that followed was the worst kind of silence there could possibly be. The breaking and hopeless kind of silence. James, of course, never handeled this kinds of situations very well, and made this the moment of our entry.

"Remus is right. Sirius didn't betray us. Peter did. We swapped Secret-Keeper without telling any of you. We thought we'd be safer that way." James was walking into the room with confidence, if he was oblivious to the looks the people of the room gave him or if he just chose to ignore them, I didn't know. I kept more to the background.

All eyes were on James as he continued to explain the swapping between Sirius and Peter, except one pair. Albus Dumbledore was staring at me, and most importantly, the baby boy in my arms. Once again all the questions came to me. How, why, what for, where was he?  
My emerald green eyes scanned the crowd. Dumbledore, Moody, Remus, Frank and Alice, two aurors that I didn't know the name of and a healer.

"What happened, Dumbledore? How are me and James even alive? How is Harry alive? Where is Voldemort?"

I could feel all eyes on me again. For the first time I were able to see Remus' teary face. I pitied him more and more. If it had been under any other circumstances I probably would've hugged him thightly. But not tonight.

"Voldemort is gone. We believe that Harry defeated him. Scars like that only appear when really dark and powerful magic have been involved, but backfired. But to how any of you are alive, I have not the slightest idea."

Relief filled me. Voldemort was gone. Harry had defeated him. My little, baby boy had defeated the most evil wizard of all time. Steadily I felt the colour getting back to my face. James even smiled. Still, the air around us were still not comfortable. The only people looking at least the slightest bit relieved was me and James.

"There is more?" James asked the dreaded question the two of us were thinking. My heart was speeding again, racing like a snitch.

"Sirius have been sent to Azkaban. No trial, seeing that the evidence were too bullet proof." Remus commented.

James and I both had the same reaction, none of us really wanting to believe him. The two of us screamed: "What?!", pleading that this wasn't the truth. It was worse for James than it was for me, though. Sirius was James' other half. They were bestfriends, brothers.

"There is more." Dumbledore voiced calmly. "Lily, I advice that you sit down."

Dread filled me for the hundredth time of the night. What could possibly be worse than what we had just endured?

"We just got a message that Death Eaters are attacking St. Mungo's."

My head was spinning.

"And?" I managed to choke out.

"We sent a couple of people down there. We all know who they're looking for. They made it quite clear."

I couldn't look at him anymore. James got over to me and hugged me tightly. A single tear managed to escape my eye. What had happened?

"A-and?" My voice wouldn't keep steady anymore.

"We haven't heard anything after we sent them down."

*1 HOUR LATER*

St. Mungo's was totally ruined. At least the eastern part. I hadn't been able to stop crying since Dumbledore told me. What if something had happened to her? What if they had killed her?  
All around the hallways lay both dead and injured patients and employees. I couldn't look at them. It would only end up in me starting to imagine it was her. Dumbledore would stop every now and again to get a word with a healer or two. Usually I would be very patience with the old headmaster, but not tonight.  
One of the healers sent us in the right direction, and I quickly recognized it. At least I knew where we were heading. Remus had stayed behind at Hogwarts to watch over Harry. I saw the door to the room she had stayed in, and with every step I felt a bigger need to vomit. What if something had happended to her?  
Dumbledore opened the door for me and James to walk through. What met me was the last thing I was expecting to see. I could feel James stiffen beside me, his face growing cold. On the other side of the room sat Severus Snape, a tiny, sleeping form on his lap.

"Who's idea was this?!" James almost yelled at the healers in the room. He looked like he could've killed someone.

Several of the healers looked startled and shocked by his reaction, and others tried to tell him, but got too intimidated by James to do so. At last, one of the strict and old looking healers came over to us and gave us the answer.

"The girl wouldn't stop screaming. We all tried to calm her down, but she only started to kick and bite us. He was the only person that managed to calm her down.

I looked over at the two of them. She looked so comfortable in his arms. Safe almost. I never would've thought that. Our daughter, 3 year old Emerald Lily Potter, finding a safe spot in the lap of Severus Snape.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello again, wonderful fanfiction readers. Because of some awesome response and, since I'm very impatient, I decided I would post another chapter. I have never done it like this before, writing so spontaneous as I do now. So if it turns out terribly, just let me know! __**I STILL DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER! **_

_****_**Chapter 2: Hogwarts**

****Faintly I could hear mom making breakfast downstairs. Harry was outside playing with Sirius, Selena and Emily was downstairs playing with their dolls and Daniel were in the bathtube, dad probably washing him. I looked myself in the mirror. Rapidly I started to brush through my thick, black hair. I was really glad that I had gotten mom's type of hair, instead of dad's like my other siblings. I found it easier being a girl with tameable hair. The time was 9:30 in the morning, so I was running out of time. I only had one hour before I would be heading to the platform. I was finally starting at Hogwarts today.

"Emerald? Breakfast!" Mom called out from downstairs.

Quickly I got up and started to head downstairs. Halfway down the stairs I noticed the smell of pancakes in the air, so I couldn't help but smile.

"Good morning, love."

"Morning, mom." I responded just as I sat down.

Emily and Selena were already eating, arguing with each other who got the largest pancake. As I was about to take the first bite off of my breakfast Sirius, Remus and Harry came running through the door, completely covered in mud. They had one broom each, so I assumed that they had been playing Quidditch over by the woods. Remus came over and sat down to my left, while the other two recieved a very dirty look from mom, which made them at least take off their shoes. I then ended up sitting in between Sirius and my godfather.

"So, little duckling, starting at Hogwarts today, eh?" Sirius commented after he had started on his 3rd pancake. His mouth full of food as he spoke.

"Mhm." I swallowed. "And stop calling me that!"

"Whatever you say, little duckling." I send Sirius my best icy glare, which only made him smirk at me.

I sat there glaring at Sirius till dad and Daniel appeared. It didn't even surprise any of us that he was wet from top to toe. It happened every time he bathed Daniel.  
When 10:30 started to crawl upon me, I headed upstairs to check that I had gotten everything packed. I really wanted to avoid the embarrassing letter home, telling my parents that I had left something behind. The suitcase was so packed that I almost couldn't believe it. The worst part, according to Sirius, was that most of the content were books. When we had been in Diagon Ally I had managed to make my parents agree with me on the subject that I needed more books. They were all done by now, except three of them that mom had hidden away. She wanted me to have something to do while at Hogwarts. After going through the list of things I was supposed to pack for the 2nd time, I noted that everything was ready. I took one deep breath as I grabbed the top of the suitcase. How was I supposed to get this bloody thing down the stairs? As I was about to lift it I took a look into the mirror. What met me was a pair of huge, astonished, emerald green eyes and a thin, little girl. Several of moms friends thought that I was being underfed, but I really was just this thin and bony by nature.  
It took some time, but I managed to drag the suitcase all the way down the hallway and down the stairs without asking for help. Straight away mom began to fuzz over me, which only made me blush. We were getting to the platform the wizarding way, even though mom was against it. We would be apparating to an ally just a block away from the station and walk from there. I found it a lot less complicated. It would only take us a few minuted to get there.

The fresh, London morning air was like honey to my lungs. One could basically taste the end of summer in the air. It was 10:45 when we entered platform 9 3/4, giving my family ages to say their goodbyes. I was starting to feel a bit emotional myself!  
Quickly I found an empty compartment to put my suitcase into, Sirius and dad insisting on helping me this time.

"Sweetheart, come here." Mom said weakly. "It's time to say goodbye." Never before had I seen mom this tearful. As she hugged me tight I could even feel the pressure of tears behind my eyes myself. Softly mom sobbed onto my shoulder, until dad had to pull her away from me and comfort her. "My baby girl, all grown up, already going to Hogwarts. Where on earth did the time go? When did we become so old, James?"

"Lily! Relax! She'll be home for christmas." Dad tried to comfort mom, all the while he were smirking at me. "Then she'll be able to tell us how she kicked some Slytherin arse at school."

"Language, James!"

"Sorry, love. Then she'll tell us how she kicked some Slytherin _butt._" Dad and Sirius gave each other high fives, recieving a glare from both mom and Remus. God, they are so immature!

I couldn't help but laugh at how childish and immature they were being, even though it annoyed me to no end.

"Just behave, have fun, make friends. Be yourself and everything will be fine." Remus must've seen how my nerves started to be in control of me.

I tried putting up a brave face, but in reality I was sooo scared. I felt like throwing up! Everyone was so sure that I would be a Gryffindor, but what if I weren't? What if I ended up in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff? Or even Slytherin, the house which dad and Sirius hated more than anything? I was afraid that I wouldn't be the perfect daughter they wanted anymore.

*A couple of hours later *

I could feel my whole body shaking. All I hoped for was that the people around me wouldn't notice too much. I was in the middle of the crowd of 1st years, just about to get Sorted. I couldn't see anything in front of me because of some taller boys up in the front. I knew there was a hat there. I knew that it was singing. I knew that the teacher's table were up in the front. I just couldn't bloody see it!  
When the Sorting started my brain seemed to zone all the way out. Even as I tried to focus on the names and what house they got into, I found myself unabled to. The only thing I did notice was each time they started on a new letter. My shaking was growing violent as my turn to get Sorted was approaching. M... N... O. -

"Potter, Emerald." The teacher called out. I think her name was McGonagall.

I could've sworn that my heart stopped for a second, but so did the shaking. I pushed myself through the crowd and slowly, but steadily, I walked over to the stool. From the teachers table I could feel someone staring at me, so I let my eyes look up for a second. What met me were a pair of pitch black eyes. They looked so mysterious that I found it hard to look away. The eyes were sucking me into them. The man looked just as mysterious as his eyes.  
I turned my back to the teachers table and sat down onto the stool. Not soon after, the Sorting hat was placed upon my head. It was really embarrassing really, seeing that the hat almost covered my head completely.

_"Ah, a Potter, huh? And a female one! I've been waiting for this day. So alike, but also so unlike your parents and family. Brave, intelligent, loyal, cunning, but where to put you? Ah, not Hufflepuff, no, certainly not there. Not Gryffindor either, but where then? Aha, I see! You like being alone. Not many understand you. Working hard to reach your goals no matter what. Well, better be: _SLYTHERIN!

My heart sank, but I smiled anyway. Professor McGonagall removed the hat from my head and I quickly headed towards the cheering Slytherin table. I sat down next to a boy that looked about 2 or 3 years older than me, and he made me feel safe. I couldn't really place the feeling. I had been the first Slytherin girl, but I was soon followed by 3 other girls: Mira, Joan and Alexandra.  
As the feast itself started I couldn't help but smile. Sirius would probably have killed me by now if he knew that I had ended up in Slytherin. Once again I noticed the mysterious teacher staring at me, and I let myself meet his eyes a couple of times. In the end the curiousity of figuring out who he was too big, and I turned to the boy next to me for help.

"Excuse me, Marcus?"

He looked up at me with a smirking face, and I noticed that he had pretty messed up teeth.

"Yeah, kid?"

"Who's the black haired man sitting next to professor McGonagall?" I asked uncertain, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice.

"Oh, that's professor Snape. He's the potions professor, and head of our house. You'll quickly see that he favors us. Just -" Marcus stopped up. "-make sure you're on his good side, will ya? We don't need another lecture about that."

I nodded quietly, once again looking up into the face of professor Severus Snape. Why did I have the feeling that I had seen him somewhere before?


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello again!  
I'm so delighted to find out that so many have showed an interest in the story! I was afraid that I would recieve hate frome it, to be honest. What I should tell you is that I really hate this chapter! I just wanted it to be over with. I sooo wanted to continue to write on the story.  
To everyone who have reviewed, followed or added this story to their favorite THANK YOU SOO MUCH! I LOVE YOU! __**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER.**_

_****_**Chapter 3: A Half-Blood in Slytherin**

****_Screaming. Scrambeling through the hallways. I tried orientating myself, but I couldn't see anything under the sea of people. A womens evil laugh. Flashes of green -_

__My eyes snapped open, sweat streaming down my face. At first I was confused to where I was, but suddenly all the memories of the night before came back to me. I was a Slytherin. Me. Daughter of James and Lily Potter. Sister of The-Boy-Who-Lived. How was that even possible? I looked over at the clock. It was early, but not too early to get up, I decided in the end. The other girls were all still fast asleep. I didn't really care about them. They hadn't been very nice to me the night before, just because I was a half-blood...  
I climbed out of bed, the coldness of the room hitting my feet immediately. The fact that the Slytherin dorms lay only barely over the surface of the lake made the whole room look gloomy and spooky. Quickly I headed over to the bathroom to get dressed. Even though it was a weekend, I decided that I wanted to wear my school uniform. I wanted to get used to the whole experience before school started. Luckily the bathroom floor were much warmer than the dorm had been, so I were able to relax as I put on my shirt, skirt, socks and tie. My hair had stayed flat for once, so all I had to do was to put it up into a ponytail. I caught a flash of my own reflection in the mirror, and I could've sworn that I could see someone else in there too. My body stopped, and I took another look into the mirror. No. It was just me in there. Must've been the light.

A hundred times before I had heard from dad and Sirius that the Slytherin common room were a cold and dark place. That was the reason why I had been so shocked the night before when we entered it. The common room was really very comfortable, even more so when there was no one around. I might have accepted that I was to be a Slytherin, but I didn't quite enjoy being around the others just yet.  
The fact that I managed to walk all the way from the common room to the Great Hall without getting lost made me smile. I made a mental note to myself that I would try to figure out my way around the castle before monday, just as I entered the Great Hall. There weren't a lot of students in the hall, mostly teachers and some of the oldest students. Straight away I noticed that professor Snape was seated up at the teacher's table. Rapidly I walked all the way over to the end of the table, the end closest to the teachers table, before I sat down. The fact that I was all alone and had no friends had never been so obvious.

Halfway through my breakfast I noticed that more and more of the rest of the school started to appear. Many of them, I figured out, were some of my new classmates. None of them spared me another glance, so I continued to eat the rest of my food without looking up from the table. It wasn't until I heard a pair of footsteps approaching that I let my eyes return upwards.

"Miss Potter." It was him. Professor Snape. His voice soft as velvet as he spoke. "Welcome to Slytherin." He whispered with a small smirk, putting pressure on each word. The professor then handeled me my timetable for so to carry on down the table. I couldn't help but notice that he had been much nicer and direct with me than all the others.

*Later that day*

"Potter! Hey, Potter!?" Joan yelled at me from the other side of the courtyard.

I tried ignoring them as I walked past, keeping my head held high. I didn't want to let myself show any emotions.

"How's your filthy mudblood of a mother doing, Potter? Is it true that she's a slave for the higher pureblood community?"

Inside of me I could feel something snap. Before I could stop it, a tear escaped my eye and slid down my cheek. My heart sank, hoping that they hadn't seen it, but of course they had.

"Ooooo, little Potty baby crying!" Alexandra laughed out with a snort, the four others echoing behind her.

Suddenly two older boys grabbed me by my ponytail and hurled me down towards to the ground, which I hit with a great snap. I could no longer control my tears, them now flowing freely down my face. I could barely see because of the tears, but I felt every blow those boys threw at me, me crying out at each and every one of them. After all, I was just a half-blood in Slytherin to them. Nothing more.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello people of !  
I'm baaack! I'm sorry I haven't been able to update sooner, but I've been sooooo busy! But now I have finally got some time, so here it is! Chapter 4 of the wonderful story :D I don't really like this chapter either, so if you guys doesn't like it, then it's okay! Once again I just wanted to finish it, and carry on. You guys are awesome, especially those of you who have reviewed the story or added it to fav story or are following it. You are the people who makes my life worth living!  
I still write all this on the spot, barely reading through it! I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. ONLY EMERALD AND THE PLOT AROUND HER AND SOME OF THE MADE UP CHARACTERS I MAKE ALONG THE WAY. BUT THE MAIN PLOT AROUND HARRY I DO NOT OWN!_

__**Chapter 4: Safety**

****After the Slytherins were done they left me broken in the courtyard. It hurt everywhere. I couldn't get up. Why couldn't I get up? Why had they done this to me? What had I done against them to deserve this?  
The biggest question was really, how had a couple of 1st years managed to beat me up so heavily? "Because you're weak." A voice inside of my head said. I began yelling back at the voice in my head, telling it how the guys who had done this to me had actually been 3rd years. And big. I hadn't stood a chance. My throat hurt from the screaming and crying, and my eyes were so blurry that I couldn't see anything but shadows. I felt a twig of fear go through me as I shivered. I could hear the blood flow through my head, it was so loud that I barely heard the footsteps approaching me. So quiet and careful.  
I tried to get up once again, fighting my own body to at least fake some strength, but failed. Something cold touched my cheek, and I found myself leaning against it. A cry unwillingly escaped my lips hen the coldness disappeared. What I was then surprised over was the fact that the person lifted me up into it's arms and carried me away. All I managed to see was a pair of black, onyx eyes watching over me.

*_The day after*_

Cold. Something very cold had been placed onto my forehead. My pain had been eased slightly, but it was still there, poking me. Everything as so unfamiliar. The strong smell of potions and books filled the air. Where was I? Several times I tried to open my eyes. I wanted to at least get the slightest glimse of the room. It was only then that I became aware of the cruciating headache I had, which made me let out a soft whimper. Quick steps could be heard from the other side of the room, approaching where I was lying, until I became aware of someone checking me. Probably my injuried. I couldn't know for sure. A cold hand touched my cheek as the cloth on my forehead was removed. Dripping of water, then it was back. By then I had given up on opening my eyes completely, so I focused more on getting my hands to move. Steadily I could feel my fingers moving, then my hand. Never once did the person stop watching me. The feeling of being watched never left me.  
I must have been gaining my strenght for a very long time before I managed to control my arms. It all left me close to exhaustion, and the feeling of weakness creeped upon me. But I managed it at last, leading them to my face immediatly. My face was burning against my cold hands!

"I do not think that it is very, wise, of you to move to much straight away, miss Potter."

Straight away I knew who had saved me. Who had taken care of me. Who was now at my side, making sure I didn't do anything stupid. With a very hoarse voice I replied:

"Where am I? What day is it? Did I miss any classes?"

The man chuckled quietly at my side.

"So alike your mother, always worrying about school." I could hear him whisper. I wasn't really sure if he was talking to me at all. "It has only been, 12 hours, since I found you." he paused. "I would say, if you behave and move quietly." he put pressure on the last word. Clearly he knew who dad was. "You can leave in a few hours."

"How -" I started.

"They are not too bad. I will let you see when you open your eyes."

I couldn't quite place it, but the feeling I had had earlier returned to me. The feeling that he was much nicer to me thatn to any of his other students. Like he had known me all along.  
I stayed with my eyes closed for over 2 hours more. Thanking God that he had been there. Severus Snape, my only safety in Hogwarts.

_I know! It's short, but this is all I wanted to say about it xD_  
_The next chapter will be much, much longer and will take place in Emerald's christmas holliday. How will her family react to her being in Slytherin? :3 Feel free to review!_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Welcome Home

_Hiii :)  
Here's the new update! Yay 3 All of this was written spontaniously, and I have no idea how many spelling mistakes I have, but fu that :) Hope you'll like it!  
__**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THIS. I ONLY OWN EMERALD AND PARTS OF THE PLOT, BUT NOT THE MAIN HARRY POTTER PLOT WHICH BELONGS TO J.K! **_

The school grounds had been covered in a thick layer of snow over night, making the whole castle so much colder. I was dragging my suitcase along with me through the dungeons, heading up towards the main hall. I would be going home for the holiday. Usually I had my hair pinned up in a ponytail, but not today. It was way too cold for my ears to pop out. All around me I saw friends hugging and saying their goodbyes. I wouldn't be doing that at all. I had no friends. I was alone.

As I entered the main hall I got a terrible headache. I couldn't see. A cold and evil laugh. Then it was over. I was shaking. Terribly. Shivering even more than I had before. I was then aware of the fact that someone was watching me from afar. Professor Snape was watching me from the main doors where he stood to check that everyone in his house who was supposed to take the train got onto it. To get the sudden attention of off myself, I hurried along towards the doors, all along avoiding professor Snape's eyes.

***A couple of hours later***

"I can't believe that it has only been 4 months since we last saw you! I can't believe it! It seems like years!" Mom began as she hugged me for the third time.

It was pretty annoying really. Mom was fuzzing over everything about me. Everything from the fact that I had a scar on my chin to me not having answered any of their latest letters. Everyone was over at our house, since mom had apparently thought that she should have a "welcome home" feast. Sirius and Remus were both there, and mom had made the most delicious food! The Hogwarts food was wonderful, but it was nothing compared to mom's food. All through the dinner they told me about everything that had happened at home while I had been away. All the while I dreaded the dessert. I knew what I had coming for me.

"So, Em, tell us about Hogwarts!" Sirius began with a laugh. "Pranked lots of Slytherin's yet?" He smirked at me.

Slowly I looked up from the table. I knew that I was shifting nervously in my chair, but I really had no way of stopping it. My mouth was completely dry. What should I tell them? I would either have to lie to my own family or tell them the truth. Both options were too hard to consider even for a second. All eyes were on me, and I knew that they all expected an answer.

"Ehm, schools okay. I absolutely love all the subjects!" I began, making sure to breath regularly to keep calm. "And no, I haven't! Wouldn't dream of it. I don't want to lose any house points." My laugh afterwards was the shaky one that a lying person would have, and I knew that mom had heard it.

What saved me from mom's questions was Sirius and dad who then began asking tons of questions. I was able to answer most of them with ease, but avoided some. Harry listened excitedly at the side, absorbing all the information about the school. It hurt to lie to them all. To not tell them the truth as to why I avoided the questions about Gryffindor house.  
In the end all the questions turned into stories about when dad, Sirius and Remus had been to school, and all the mischief they had done together. Eventually I drifted off into my own thoughts, only nodding at the right times. Mom had gone upstairs to put Daniel to bed. She was usually the only person who was able to see if I paid attention or not. The three adults in the room were too busy talking to even notice if someone else was paying attention or not.

_Should I tell them? Should I tell them what house I belonged to? Why shouldn't I? What reaction would they have? Would they like me afterwards? _All those questions were running around in my head. I felt dizzy, feeling like time had been put on fast forwards. I could no longer see or hear the talking men not far from me, or see the bright light of the living room. My hands gripped onto the sides of my chair, the nervousity taking over. Quietly I took a deep breath.

"I'm a Slytherin." My voice was far too low for my own liking, nearly like a whisper. It did gain everyone's attention, though.

I hadn't even noticed that mom had gotten back down. Not that Selena and Emily had both fallen asleep on the couch. Not even that tears had been dripping from my face. Now everyone in the room had their eyes on me, studying me. They all held different reactions. Dad and Sirius had shocked look upon their faces, Remus looked amused and mom was all but frozen. Only Remus' reaction made me more comfortable. My eyes drifted to and fro the people in the room, staying a couple of seconds on each face. Begging for anyone to speak up. To talk to me.

"You are a _what?_" Dad suddenly yelled, yanking to his feet. Sirius soon following after.

The look they gave me broke me down. A look of disgust. A look of guilt. A look of hatred.


	6. Chapter 6

_I've been wanting to get to this point in the story for soooo long, yay! I think it'll be easier to update from here, since I'll only have 1 or 2 chapters before we jump to Harry's first year at Hogwarts. I can't wait :)  
Once again I want to remind you that I only write this to develop my own writing and english skills. Most of it is written spontaniously, so just tell me if something is bad or give me advice if you have any good ones!_

_I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF THE ORIGINAL PLOT MADE BY J.K. I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE ORIGINAL CHARACTERS, ONLY EMERALD AND OTHERS THAT I HAVE MADE UP AND PARTS OF THE PLOT!_

Chapter 6: Too different?

I ran. All the way up to my bedroom and locked the door. I didn't want to see them. Didn't want to ever talk to them again. They were supposed to be my family! Wasn't family supposed to be the one and only place where you could always belong, since your family would always accept you? Apparently not.  
My bedroom had grown dusty over the months. Like no one had been in there since I left. As I walked along my bedroom wall towards the huge window, I let my hand slide along the surface of my bookcase, closet and desk, brushing off dust all the way. It was quite sad actually. To see the whole room look so deserted and different. So dark. The only thing that indicated that it was indeed my bedroom was the guitar lying on the bed and the pictures on the walls.  
Outside the new moon stood bright in the sky. Careful to not make too much noise I got up on my tiptoes and opened the window. The air gave me chills, but oh so fresh. I felt like crying. Felt like breaking down, but I couldn't. No tears would come. Not a single one. Hogwarts might have turned my homelife upside down, but I was no little girl anymore. I had grown up. Maybe too quickly, but I had.

I hadn't even noticed how fast the time went by before I took another look at the sky, finding far away from where it had last been. I didn't want to go to bed. Didn't feel like it. A couple of minutes later I had wrapped myself in some sheets, and sat curled up in the chair in front of the open window. It was cold, but for once I embraced the coldness.

***A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER***

_I was walking alongside a dark figure. My head screamed at me to not trust the person beside me, but my legs wouldn't listen. They just continued walking, never showing any sign of stopping. The figure beside me was a tall, cloaked man. But something was off about him. He looked, blurry, like he wasn't really there at all. Suddenly I stumbled down a flight of stairs. I tried getting away, to scream, but the man only got closer and closer. His eyes blood red._

I woke up with a yelp. It was still dark outside. Only 3:06 AM. Way too early to get up. All signs of sleepiness had been drained from my body by the nightmare, so I just sat up in a curled position against the wall. The truth was that I was afraid of the nightmares. They seemed so realistic. Like they weren't dreams at all.  
Mom had tried to talk to me several time during the week, but I didn't want to listen to her. Dad and Sirius had avoided me all together, never staying in the same room as me or getting eye contact. At least mom had gotten to the point where she accepted it, just like Remus had. He was my godfather after all, so he had always been there for me when I needed someone outside my actual family. The two of them had told me again and again how I should give dad and Sirius some time to adapt. Like there was anything to adapt to.  
Slowly but steadily I noticed the room get brighter and brighter. The nightmare was still fresh in my mind, but I had other things to worry about. I would be heading back to school at 11 o'clock. Usually dad took me to the platform, but that was out of question now. _"__Maybe Remus will be there to take you there?" _said the voice inside my head. It was right, of course.  
When the clock started to approach 6 AM I jumped out of bed and hurried along to the bathroom. There I took a long shower and got dressed in a light blue sweater and jeans, quickly putting my hair into two pigtails. It was nearly 8 o'clock when I walked back into my bedroom. Stuff after that went by in a blur. Once again I checked if I had everything packed, taking with me new clothes and several new books. I ate breakfast with the family, never looking up from the table.

"Emerald, love?"

"Hm?" I quickly looked up from the table into the big eyes of mom, so alike my own.

"Your dad's going to run some errands in a bit, so he won't be able to take you to the platform" Yeah, right. Avoiding me was more likely. "So either Remus or myself will take you there. Have you packed everything?"

I nodded, trying to not show how emotional this made me. "It's okay. Remus can take me. You stay here. We'll be fine."

***AT THE STATION***

The station was packed with students like always, but for once this made me feel more relieved. I wouldn't draw that much attention to myself if I broke down crying. Remus had been very helpful, he even lightened up my mood slightly. At least he understood.

"You shouldn't let this bother you too much, Em." Remus whispered in my ear as he hugged me. "Your father and Sirius, well, they're just too immature to accept it. Even though myself and Lily did warn them that you could get into any house, not just Gryffindor." The man smiled.

"They accepted me before they knew. Why did they change their minds all of a sudden?" A single tear tickled down my cheek. "Am I too different now?"

Remus dried away the tear with the back of his hand. I felt terrible. I guess Remus couldn't quite find the right words to comfort me with, since all he did was kiss my forehead and hurry along with my suitcase, telling me how I'd miss the train if we didn't hurry up.


	7. Chapter 7

_Wotcher lovlies! This story have over 700 views now, yay!  
I intended this chapter to be longer, but decided I would only be doing a following it up in the next chapter! I promise.  
I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER ETCETCETC, you get it.  
Please do review what you think! I will not post the next chapter before I've gotten 2 more reviews xD_

Chapter 7: Catch me, I'm falling

I hadn't told my parents how I didn't have any friends, didn't want them to know. None of the Slytherins liked me for being a half-blood, and the rest of the school didn't like me for being a Slytherin. All of that made things hard, nearly impossible.  
My mind would only half concentrate on professor Snape's words. I felt like I was spinning around and around. Why was my head spinning? I noticed that professor Snape stopped talking after a while, giving his usual intimidating look to the class. From somewhere far away I was able to hear the words of dismissal, soon followed by scraping of chairs and talking. I didn't even dare to move. I was too afraid of the fact that I would fall over in front of the whole class.  
Suddenly I felt someone touch my shoulder and I stiffened.

"What are you still doing here, miss Potter?" The smooth voice of professor Snape whispered into my ear.

The spinning only got worse, making me too nauseous to even try to answer him. I couldn't even see clearly anymore. I could feel someone shaking me, probably professor Snape, and call out my name, but all that came out of me was a quiet moan. I tried to walk forwards quickly, trying to force my whole body to just move. All I ended up doing was to fall flat on my face. Only reason to why I didn't end up with a broken nose was because of professor Snape's strong arms around my waist.  
Professor Snape lifted me up into a sitting position, making me face him. I only faintly registered his lips moving quickly, him looking shocked and worried down at me. It was as if most of my body suddenly refused to work properly. So much I wanted to hear what he told me, answer him, anything. I couldn't even make myself moan anymore. _Screaming coming from everywhere around them. _Professor Snape carefully lifted me up into his arms, never stopping his attempts to get contact with me. _A scared man behind prison bars.  
_All I could feel running through my body was the feeling of fear and being uncertain. Why was I trapped in my own body like this? _A messy haired man grabbing the prisoner by his wrists. _By the seconds my eyes turned even more and more foggy. All senses except fear had escaped me. _A young man yelling at a group of elder men, waving his arms about him as he yelled, clearly frustrated. _If it hadn't been for professor Snape holding onto me, I would've thought that I had fallen into unconsciousness. _A young, red headed woman attacking the floor, holding up a rat in triumph. _Suddenly the arms around me disappeared and I started panicking, hyperventilating. It was terrifying to lie there, completely still, without any of the most important senses. _A short, rat-like man being in court, people giving him cold looks from everywhere around him.  
_After what seemed like hours, but probably only were a couple of minutes, I felt a cold hand lift up my chin, then something hard and warm being pressed to my lips. Professor Snape was making me swallow a potion. He was very patient with me, too, seeing that I choked up much of it. What astonished me was that he didn't get mad or frustrated at all, like dad had been while I was sick a couple of years back. All professor Snape did was making soothing rings on my back, again and again telling me it was going to be alright. By now I was actually able to make out the words he was muttering, and the shadows of furniture around the room._Two men hugging each other like their life depended on it. _My whole body started to feel stronger and stronger, but on the same time also more and more exhausted. Professor Snape stayed by my side all the time, holding me up and against his chest. I felt truly safe there. I couldn't figure out why he hadn't just placed me in the hospital wing, instead of doing all of this himself.  
When the time passed and I was almost feeling normal again, I started to try to move smaller parts of my body, like my fingers or toes.

"P-professor S-snape?" I finally managed to croak out, barely making any noise at all.

He stood up from his chair a short distance from where I was lying, and knelt down beside me. Those kind eyes held so much worry.

"Yes, miss Potter?" He said slowly, making sure I heard him.

"Wh-what's happening to me?"

"I am not sure, but you ill have to rest now that you have gotten better. If not, then I cannot guarantee that you will recover." Professor Snape whispered into my air.

He didn't need to tell me twice. My body was basically screaming for sleep, so I gave into the plea. Within minutes, I had fallen into a deep sleep, professor Snape's hand warming me up.


	8. Chapter 8

_Oh, wow! Here I was, busy and stressed out as ever, and suddenly the story had over 1,000 views o.O_  
_I love you guys! 3 I also want to apologize for not updating sooner! _  
_J. K. Rowling owns the main plot involving Harry, and anything else you might recognize! :)_

_Hope you enjoy the new chapter!_

_- Mattimo_

**Chapter 8: Teach me**

My limbs were unbelievably heavy as I sat up in what appeared to be a sofa. The darkness of the room blinded me for several moments before I tried to make out my surroundings. One thing I did know for sure, I was certainly not in the Hospital Wing! To my right I could make out a faint glimmer of light. It was coming from underneat a dark, wooden door. When I tried sharpening my hearing, I managed to make out the soft scraping of pen against paper. I graduatly lifted my feet up from the sofa and placed them firmly on the floor. My whole body was still half refusing me, so I had to do everything very carefully. The last thing I wanted was to end up in bed again. I was too tired of that. Of lying down. Several times as I walked across the room I found myself crashing into different objects that I couldn't make out at all in the terribly dim light, but luckily I never broke or knocked anything over.  
As I got closer and closer to the door, a headache started to appear. One of those terrible headaches that makes your eyesight turn blurry and all you want to do is lie down and eat sweets. It was very much alike the one I had gotten the day I had fallen and lost my ability to move. It terrified me, but I couldn't allow myself to stop walking when I was already so close to my own goal. The door handle was icy cold against my skin, making me shudder as I pulled the door towards me. Luckily the door wasn't very heavy, as I simply pulled it towards me, never having to use too much energy.  
Professor Snape sat behind a high desk next to a fireplace, very close to the middle of the room. As I got closer, I managed to see the huge pile of papers waiting at his side. Professor Snape didn't look up from the papers he was grading before I gripped the edge of the desk, feeling like a small child while standing there in front of him. The man looked absolutely exhausted.

"Great to see you back in order, Miss Potter." he said quietly to me as I sat down in the chair in front of his desk.

"It feels good to be." I couldn't help but smile for a short moment before turning serious again. "It's all thanks to you of course."

Professor Snape stopped writing immediately, and for a moment I thought I had said something terribly wrong. But the expected anger never came. Nor did the yelling. All he did was stare at me like I was someone he had never seen before. In the end the stare made me too uncomfortable, so I began to stare at the desk instead. My voice was shaking when I carried on.

"What's wrong with me, Professor? Why do things like these keep happening to me...?"

The quietness of the room seemed to be yelling at me. It was even worse when it seemed to go on and on forever. Professor Snape kept sending me uncertain looks, only torturing me even more. All the candles and the fireplace all kinda stopped giving me a comforting feeling.

"I don't know." The answer finally came to be.

Never did I look up from that one spot on the side of the desk. My whole world was falling more and more apart. If it had been anyone but him telling me that, I probably wouldn't have believed them or even been affected at all by the news, but professor Snape, potion master and know-it-all didn't know what was wrong with me. The world seemed to go in slow motion after that. Like the whole world was slowly crushing me with it's slow and quietness. I often got curious of what professor Snape was doing, but never plucked up the courage to look up, in fear of meeting his eyes. One after another I let the tears fall down my face, hot silver petals to my now icy cold skin.

"Teach me."

"What?"

I was able to make out the soft scraping of a chair, before professor Snape suddenly appeared in my vision, kneeling down beside me. For a couple of moments he just knelt there, probably hoping that I would chose to face him in the end. It didn't take long before he got impatient, though, and he lifted right hand to make me face him. I only dared to look at his hands at first, but slowly I let my eyes meet his in the very end.

"Teach me how to stay normal. To stop these things from happening to m." My voice seemed to want to break down several times, but I wouldn't let it. Not in front of him. "I promise to be good! Never speak unless spoken to. Only do what you tell me to. Just please! I can't stay like this! I just can't...!"

A single tear managed to escape my eye. I could see professor Snape's uncertain and worried expression, and it made me nervous.

"This will take years and years to learn, Miss Potter."

A small smile appeared on my face as hope filled me to the core.

"I'll do anything, sir! Just, please!" I stopped, uncertain of how to go on. "I'm willing to do anything. Even if it takes my whole life to learn."

Professor Snape got up so quickly that I almost fell of the chair in shock. With steady and long strides he walked into his chambers, motioning for me to follow. With stumbling feet I followed, my throat suddenly dry, me licking over my lips over and over out of pure nervousness. In reality I felt really calm, but my body just wouldn't let itself be it completely. Professor Snape lead me into his living room where he had now lit several candles and torches to illuminate the room, and I noticed that this had been the room I had slept in.

"It's beautiful." I whispered before I could stop myself.

Professor Snape answered only with a short "hm.", but I did manage to detect a small smile on his lips, even if it was just for a moment. He then motioned for me to sit down on the sofa, the very same one I had earlier that evening stumbled up from.

"So, Miss Potter, let's get straight to it. You want me to teach you how to brew the right potions to help you? To help you strenghtening your mind so that nothing unwanted will be let in?"

I thought his words over in my mind again and again, before finally nodding.

"I want you here, every Monday and Wednesday. Make up a lie to any curious friends."

"Oh, I doubt if that will be a problem, sir." I almost laughed with a soft smirk on my face.

"Why is that, Miss Potter?" Professor Snape was gathering several books from his bookcase, his face turned towards me.

"I have no friends you see, sir."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Shopping**

The house was so quiet. I hadn't heard it so quiet in years, actually. The reason behind this quietness was that the whole family had gone out. Where to I didn't know. Maybe to the beach or maybe to visit some family friends. All I really knew was that I had refused to join. I couldn't really enjoy the summers anymore, they were too lazy and nothing ever happened. The hollidays bored me.  
I sat in my darkened room in the attic, reading in one of the books that I had borrowed from Professor Snape. After I had started with the privat sessions with him, I had learned so much about my condition. I still didn't know what it was, but at least I had grown to know it a lot better. It was like everything was suddenly turning better after that. Even my grades.  
None of my family seemed to remember that I was going into my 3rd year at Hogwarts this year. Not one of them had asked me about which new subjects I would be taking for my next couple of years. Maybe they were just too busy fuzzing over Harry, who was now going into his 1st year. I certainly didn't know the reason behind it. Maybe they just didn't care.  
I got up from my chair and put the book back into the shelf. I then walked over to the bed, throwing myself down onto it. I liked being alone, it gave me time to think straight. The loneliness embraced me. Of course, when one have no friends one grows to like being left alone. I couldn't quite describe it. I fell asleep so fast that I couldn't help it.

*_I was walking down a dark, stone tunnel. Torches were lined up along the tunnel, only giving out a creepy and dim light. The tunnel was icy cold, and it made shivers run down my spine. Where on earth were I? Why were I here? I tried slowing my legs down, but they only kept walking forwards, never slowing down or stopping. I never stopped before I had entered a bright room. There, in the center, stood a man. Pale and in dark robes. Suddenly he turned around to face me. The most scarlet and frightneing eyes in the whole wide world. I fell backwards, and I could hear him approaching me, laughing evily. He was going to...-"_

My eyes flew open in pure horror and shock as I fell off the bed. I was panting, cold sweat covering much of my body. It took quite a while before my body realized that it had only been a dream.  
It was almost dark outside now, so I must have slept for quite a while. I got to my feet quick as lightning, striding across the room towards the trapdoor in the floor. Slowly I opened it and climbed down the ladder.

"Why is the house still so quiet?" I whispered to myself. "They should be home by now..."

I discovered the house to still be empty. There was no one in the house other than me. Not even the cat was in. I put the cettle on, making some tea to calm myself down. I just had this very bad, sinking feeling that something terrible would happen.

My family didn't come home before very late that night. It was nearly 1 AM. By then I had already had 7 cups of tea and had also eaten about half of the food in the refrigiator.

The very next morning I was woken up by mom shaking me. It was 8 o'clock in the morning. When I asked her why she had woken me up, I only got the short reply:

"We're going out shopping."

I read that as: "We're getting your school supplies today.". I couldn't really have cared less about what to wear, so I only went for a light green summer dress that was reaching just above my knees, and decided to braid my hair. I went all around my room in search of my school robe. I knew that it had grown to be a an inch or two too short, but I didn't really care. I would only be wearing it for the shopping anyways. I would get a new one while there. When I found it, I quickly headed downstairs. I was actually the last one to arrive at the breakfast table, funnily enough.

"Good morning, love!" Mom smiled over at me as I sat down, and she passed me the bread.

"Morning mom." I answered, only managing to give half a smile.

"You will have to hurry. We'll take you and Harry to Diagon Ally to get your school supplies." dad said from behind his morning paper. He might be a very childish dad, but he was always very serious at as he read the newspaper. "I certainly hope that you both have your letters!"

I nodded softly, before fetching my supply list from my pocket, waving it in front of him, for so to put it back in again. Harry had some troubles finding his, though. We spent over 30 minutes before we found it. Sirius had volunteered to babysit Selena, Emily and Daniel.

10 o'clock was the time when we exited Gringotts Bank. I now understood why mom had insisted that we should be getting there so early. It was already almost packed with people! I then remembered that it was only a week before school would be starting, so maybe it wasn't so weird after all. The whole shopping street was just a huge blur of green, red, yellow and blue really. Just a pity that I had no friends among them!

"School uniforms and robes first, then, hm?" Mom shot in.

I really understood her train of thoughts. It was always easier to do all the boring stuff first. Luckily, this was also one of the less crowded shops.

"Oh, hello Mr and Mrs Potter! Good to see you again! I see that young Mr Potter will be starting this year? How lovely!" Madam Malkins was always such a nice woman, but today, of course, she was ignoring me. I was nothing compared to Harry. He was famous after all! I had grown used to being ignored by people long ago.

"Yes. It's shocking how the time seem to fly by!" Mom sounded almost sentimental.  
I saw that dad moved a bit closer to her, taking her hand in his own. Mom softly laid her hand onto Harry's shoulder. "Do you have time for Harry and Emerald, madam Malkins?" She asked at last.

Madam Malkins smiled politely at me, but I swear I could spot a surprised look on her face for a short moment.

"Miss Potter, if you would just go up the stair to my assistant? Mr Potter will have to wait a bit, but only a short moment, I can guaratee you."

I almost sprinted up the stairs, too desperate to get away. Upstairs in the backroom was a middle aged, tall woman. She had curly, light brown hair and a very round face. What I noticed the most was that she had gotten several piercings in her right ear. They facinated me.  
Straight after the lady began working on me, I decided to zoom out. I had found myself doing that quite a lot, so after a while I had began using it. It was the only way I would be able to think clearly anyways. It must've taked the woman about 20 minutes to get me all fitted and get the clothes ready. She talked so much that she didn't even notice that I wasn't paying attention at all. Usually I didn't like those kinds of people, but that really came in handy right there.

"You are free to go now, hun." The lady said at last, handeling me my new school uniform and robes.

Next stop on our shopping list was Flourish and Blotts where we both got all of our new school books. Nothing much happened there, of course. Harry had always hated books, so he loathed every minute of it. We got in, found our school books, Harry complained, we paid for the books and then we left. Simple as that.  
"Emerald? We're going to go with Harry to Ollivanders. You can go shop some more if you'd like?"  
I nodded, smiling as mom handed me a small bad of galleons. I really loved shopping alone, even if I rarely got the oppurtunity to do so. Shopping alone gave me more time to think. The first shop that really came into my mind was the Apothecary. I really had to fill up my stock of potions ingrediences.  
Many would say that the Apothecary smelled terribly, but I really didn't think so. I found all the different smells strangely refreshing!

"Can I help you with anything, miss?" asked the man behind the counter politely as I approached.

My hand immediately flew to my pocket to fetch my supply list.

"I'll need to refill all of my potions ingrediences. Al of those from the list, including a middle stock of these six ingrediences." I handed the man the two lists.

The man scanned the lists, looking a bit amused and..? What else? Curious? I couldn't really read that emotion very well.

"Of course! It'll take just a moment, miss!"

The man behind the counter hurried to the room behind him, almost resembling a entusiastic child in my eyes. Awkwardly I stood there, by the counter, only looking at the objects on the other side of the counter. I began tapping my fingers on the counter, waiting. After 5 minutes, I got tired, deciding that I would be looking around in the shop instead. Shelves upon shelves with all sorts of glass containers, all in different shapes and colours. I quickly found what amused me the most in the second isle. There, in the very middle of the second isle, was a relativly big class container, small, grey brownish fish looking creatures. At first I thought that my eyes was just messing with me, but as I got closer and closer to container, I figured out that they were indeed alive. With wide eyes I just stood there, staring at the fish-like creatures with awe. Slowly I raised my hand to poke the glass.

"They are called jelly lice."

Heart up my throat, I quickly turned around, only to be met by a very familiar shape.

"Professor Snape! What a wonderful coicidence!" I smiled broadly, before turning around, once again to study the fish-like creatures.

"It is indeed." I could hear him mumble under his breath.

I shifted my body weight over to my left foot, still studying the fish-like creatures, the jelly lice.

"Why are they kept alive?" I finally asked, the curiousity getting out the better of me. It always did.

Professor Snae only smiled a smug and small smile.

"What do you believe is the reason?" he asked, raising one eyebrow at me.

A frustrated huff managed to escape my lips before I could help it. This only made professor Snape smile wider.

"So that they're fresh when you use them, perhaps?"

"Correct! Trust your own instinct, miss Potter. It have proven to be right, pretty often!"

I smiled happily to myself. It really did feel great to receive compliments from professor Snape! He was my favorite teacher after all. Before I knew it I was deeply engaged in a discussion with him, basically talking about everything and everyone. He quickly got to know about how bored I found myself every day, and how I couldn't wait to get back to school. 10 minutes later we exited the Apothecary together, both having our hands full of potions ingrediences. I had planned on leaving him after that, but seeing that I couldn't spot mom, dad or Harry, I decided to stay with him. I might have pretended that I couldn't find them a couple of times just to have more time with him, but they didn't know that! I was not about to tell them anytime soon, either.

_Yaaay :D Mattimo here!_  
_This is the longest chapter I've ever written in my entire life! *Le me, so proud* I'm sososososososos sorry if it's too full of typos, but I felt that I owed you the chapter now! I really like this chapter, even though I can't explain why! Maybe it's just because it's so long, I dunno xD_  
_Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter, keep on reviewing, send me a message if you have any ideas. I hope you won't hate me for skipping the 2nd year, but I couldn't really find anything worth writing about in the storyline I have written, so I just decided to skip it. I'll make it up to you, I promise! The next 10+ chapters will be following this next year she is entering :) We have a plan. Okay, good. :3_  
_Thank you :D_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: A not so very happy trip to Hogwarts

"Why on earth are you even asking me this?"

Annoyance filled me to the very core, threatening to overtake me any second.

"Because he's your brother! We want you to look after him." Mom explained calmly.

Usually I would always be this super-understanding, everything's alright person, but this was getting stupid.

"Harry can take care of himself! He's not a baby anymore, mom!"

I took a sharp breath to calm myself down. Mom's stupidity drove me crazy! Everyone was just so very over-protective over Harry, even more than they were over Selena, Emily and Daniel.

"At least keep an eye on him, love. Make sure he doesn't end up in trouble."

I gave up and nodded, but I couldn't really look mom in the eye afterwards.

The house was in total chaos! Both mom and dad was helping Harry to do some last minute packing. Typical him, never planning too far ahead. It left me standing there, in the living room by the fireplace, waiting. Selena and Emily was outside in the backyard playing with Daniel. Slowly I closed my eyes, listening to all the different noises around me. I could hear the faint sound of childrens laughter from outside. I could hear the soft purring of the cat from the sofa not too far away from me. The continuos ticking of the kitchen clock was also hanging in the air. It made me restless. Eventually I got tired of just standing there in the middle of the room, and began leaning onto the side of the fireplace. It made me feel cold.  
Maybe almost 45 minutes later I could hear people approaching. They had finished packing at last! Relief washed through me at this. It only meant that I would get to school faster, safe behind the walls of Hogwarts. This time it was Remus who was watching Selena, Emily and Daniel.  
Dad took our suitcases through the floo network just before we went through. Of course, the platform was packed seeing that we arrived there only 10 minutes before the train would be leaving. Continously I would snap at dad to hurry up, all the while trying to find an empty compartment. There was absolutely no chance that I would be sitting with Harry. I might love him, and I cared for him deeply, but I would never hang out with him voluntarily. We were just too different from each other!  
Suddenly I spotted one, smirking to myself as I did.

"Mom, dad, I have to go" as fast as possible I kissed both of them on the cheek, and gave mom a short I was off, my suitcase dragged behind me, hoping that it would still be empty. Luckily it was!

My brain hadn't really relaxed since I had left Hogwarts before the summer holiday, but the minute the train started moving, I felt such an enormous relief! For a minute all I did was sitting there with my eyes closed, collecting all of my hundreds of thoughts. I finally felt like I was on the right track again!  
For quite a while I just sat there silently, studying the passing landscape. That was one of the few things that I would never, ever get tired of doing. I could just sit like that for hours studying the passing colours of green, yellow, blue and grey. One kinda saw it all just by watching it.  
A soft _cack, cack, cack _on the window suddenly claimed my attention. My eyes studies the source for a while, before registrating the fast shape of a bird, maybe an owl. I got up from the seat to open the window for it to come in. Graceful as a feather it landed on my left knee, a yellowish envelope placed in it's beak. I guess it had been ordered to wait for an reply, since it didn't fly out of the window again, but rested itself on the top of the self opposite me. Curious as always, I opened the letter. I found a very familiar writing waiting for me there:

_Miss Potter,_

_This year we shall continue with your special "toturing" classes each Tuesday and Thursday. There will probably be another day too, but that is to be discussed between the two of us. I have yet to decide which day will fit me the best. All I wish to know is if you have had any hard time with your troubles this summer? Is there anything that you would like to share with me that is related to your condition? Anything besides your condition that you wish to discuss?  
My office, after the Sorting Seremony. _

_S. Snape_

I placed the letter down onto my lap, my lips growing into a small smile. My fingertips was fondling the piece of paper, feeling it's smoothness. I didn't really know how to answer to it.  
From the growing darkness I managed to guess that it was only about 2 hours till we'd be at Hogwarts. I got up, standing on my tiptoes to reach inside the suitcase for my school uniform. When I had gotten it down, I locked the compartment door and pulled the curtains over. Even after I did that, I didn't feel safe. It was kinda the same feeling that you get when you go out shopping, and have to try on clothes in the dressing rooms. You don't really feel safe. Clothes was easy, my hair was a completely different story. I needed a mirror for that. The only room in the entire train that had mirrors was the bathrooms. That's why I headed there with slow and steady steps. Continously I would bump into people, never checking if I knew them. I would rather not know if I knew any of them.  
Arriving at the nearest bathroom, I quickly got inside. It was actually quite lucky that I was so small! The room seemed so much bigger that way.

"What to do?" I whispered to myself as I looked into the mirror.

In the end I decided on a simple ponytail since I didn't bother to do anything else. My hair had grown so thick over the past three years that I had problems keeping it to look nice. It really made me frustrated. I took another look in the mirror. What met me there was shocking, even to me. I looked like a total mess! Maybe I should try sleeping more? I began heading back towards my compartment, being pleased at myself for looking decent once again. I think that I might have spotted Harry together with a red headed boy, but I couldn't really be sure. All the same, it made me smile softly to myself.  
Only three doors from my compartment did I come to a sudden half. There, not too far in front of me, stood a group of 7 other Slytherins. I will never forget those faces and the fear that they brought to me. But of course, only I was stupid enough to try my own luck like that. With shaky steps I approached them, hoping and wishing that they wouldn't notice me. That was impossible, of course. It was always noticed.

"Hey, Potty! How's the head? Had any troubles keeping on your feet lately?" The biggest of them snorted over to me.

The others laughter followed soon behind. Haunting me. I chose not to answer.

"Too brain dead to even speak now, are we?" Mira, one of the girls I shared dormitory with spit out.

Once again, I ignored them. I had absolutely no idea about how I might look like from the outside, but my insides were screaming. Yelling at myself to not simply accept such hate.  
I was getting close now, almost a meter away. They were bottling up the whole corridor, no one could get through on either side. There was no prefects in sight. No outside help was coming.

"We were just discussing you the other day, Potty!" One of the oldest of them said, a boy with little and blonde hair and a very round face.

For once I let myself look up. It was almost impossible not to do so now, seeing that I was so very close to them.

"Whether you was as ugly as before this year or uglier." The boy continued, an evil grin on his face. "Most of them bet before, but I bet uglier now. Guess that I was right!"

The other Slytherins started hulking of laughter. The boy looked like a monkey while doing so. I could feel both anger and sadness wash through me. I couldn't really tell which emotion was the dominant one.

"Leave me alone..." I managed to whispered, but I knew that I was making too little noise.. I could barely hear myself.

"What was that, Potty?" Another one of the boys asked. This one had thick eyebrows and fluffy hair. He didn't look like a nice person at all.

"Leave me the bloody hell alone!" this time it came out as a scream, and I'm sure that half the train heard it.

It happened so quickly that I couldn't quite understand everything. All of a sudden I was lying on the floor, feeling terribly dizzy. At first my eyesight was blurry, but after a couple of seconds it turned better. I still had troubles seeing stuff, but I could make out forms by then. In front of me I could see the boy, two older students holding him back. From my spot on the floor I could also pot blood on his right hand. My hands immediately went to my face. I regret it the second my hand touched my nose. Blood was flowing freely from it, and from the newly detected pain I could only imagine the damage. I felt like I was trapped under water. Everything was all blurry, and nothing felt natural. Not even my own movements. Shakily I got up from the floor, supporting myself against the walls. I could barely believe the amount of blood that was still washing out of my nose. I pushed myself past the other students. I didn't even bother to see who it was. In the end I managed to get back to my compartment. My very first thought was to stop the bleeding. I climbed up to once again reach into my suitcase, trying to blindly find something that I didn't care too much about. It all ended up on a bright pink t-shirt that I had gotten from Sirius. I held it so thightly against my nose that it hurt, but at least it stopped the bleeding!  
As my head cleared up a bit, I noticed that the owl was still sitting there. My letter turned out to be short and simple.

_Broken nose. Nose bleeding. Need assistance. Ouch. Talk later._

I watched the owl fly off with the letter, hoping that professor Snape would get it in time.

The train was slowing down at last. From outside my compartment I could hear the buzzing of hundreds of students, all chatting happily. I didn't even get up, feeling more dizzy than ever. I just sat there, on hand on the T-shirt covering the nose and the other resting on my lap. All I did was to stare at the other side of the compartment, on the wall, studying everything just to keep from fainting. Very much of my hair had fallen out of the ponytail, making a mess all over. I didn't really want anyone to see me like this. Especially not professor Snape. I knew very well that I had asked for assistance, but I was just hoping and praying that someone else would be coming.

I waited and waited, after a while I couldn't even hear any chatting at all. All of the other students were already on their way to the castle. I had no idea about how long the train would be staying there, so my anxiety got worse and worse, me jumping at each and every little noise. Luckily the bleeding had stopped. I was too scared of starting to bleed again, so I didn't dear to pull it down, even as my hand began shaking from tiredness.  
Maybe it was the lack of blood that did it or maybe I was just really a goner, seeing that I didn't even hear when someone was boarding the train. I didn't even hear that my compartment door was being opened! He was kneeling down in front of me before I knew it, so very alike that time two years ago. I could see deep worry in his eyes.  
I could feel him scan me for a moment, checking for any bruises that wasn't my broken nose. He checked my arms, chest, belly and the back of my hear. I guess that I had passed the test. Professor placed one of his hands on mine for a moment, cooling me down while doing so.

"Let me see." he asked calmly.

I shook my head. I guess that it was barely visible, but he still saw it.

"I can't heal it if you won't allow me to see it, miss Potter."

I looked down, being stared down by professor Snape. I felt like a tiny child when he did that.  
Eventually my stubbornness faded, and I decided to lower my arms. It was like my whole body was giving in to the helplessness at that very moment. Professor Snape removed the t-shirt slowly. I wasn't even looking at his face, but I could still feel his whole body stiffening. My eyes started watering after that. I bent my head downwards to look directly at the floor, several tears falling in the process. All I could hear was my own steady breathing and racing heartbeat. I could feel the pain from my nose too. It was pulsing, taunting me.  
Professor Snape touched my cheek softly, lifting my face up to face him. He then did something very unexpected. He reached out his right hand and was, uncertainly, brushing off my tears with his index finger. I studied him carefully as he did. Everything about him just screamed of uncertainness. My eyes never left him, not even when he looked back up. Out eyes met. I didn't turn my eyes away immediately. I just got lost in the deepness of his black eyes.  
Professor Snape cleared his throat shakily to regain my full attention.

"Fix the nose, him?"

"Do you even know how, professor?" I asked uncertainly. I had never seen any of the teachers heal anything except madam Pomfrey.

"Of course I can!" he smirked. "I was a part of the wizarding war. We all knew how to heal back then, to a certain degree, at least." he continued, looking a bit sad for a short moment, probably because of his war memories.

Professor Snape pointed his wand directly at my my. It made me feel quite uncomfortable, and to be honest it only made me nervous. Scared, I met professor Snape's eyes again.

"Will it hurt?" my voice was almost failing now

"No."

"Owww!"

"I lied."

_Yaaay, another chapter done!_  
_I actually like this chapter :DD Most of all the ending! I just had to do something doctor who ish in the end because I loved it! I already have chapter 11 done, but I won't post it before I'm done with school. Next chapter will come in the end of June, then!_  
_Please do review as much as you'd like! I love getting reviews! It tends to make me smile. _  
_Hope you liked this chapter,_

_Mattimo_


	11. Chapter 11

_Hello you beautiful creatures!  
I'm soooooo sorry I haven't been able to update before now, but I really, really hope that you can all forgive me! My pc haven't been working properly, and it has deleted this chapter 3 times already :S I'm going to start writing the next chapter tonight or tomorrow, trying to do it as fast as possible! Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter!_

Love,  
Marte

_I STILL DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER! THE MAIN PLOT AND ALL THE ORIGINAL CHARACTERS BELONGS TO J. K, I ONLY OWN EMERALD AND HER INVENTED BABY SIBLINGS AND SOME OF HER CLASSMATES AND STUFF!_

**Chapter 11**

We were almost running all the way up to the castle. Professor Snape had helped me clean my face and hair, seeing that there had been so much blood. Still, there was quite a lot on my shirt. We hadn't even bothered to do anything about it. Both of us saw that cleaning that up would be an impossible task. The reason why we were running was because I had told professor Snape that I wanted to see my brother getting Sorted. I guess that he saw it as a challenge to actually make it in time.

"Where will we go in, sir? Surely you don't mean that we are going to go through the main door to the Great Hall! I don't want everyone to be staring at me."

"Everyone will most likely be staring at you anyway, Miss Potter." Professor Snape began. "But we will go through the teacher's entrance."

Feeling very comforted by those words, I felt myself getting lighter. Like a huge weight was slowly being pulled away from my chest.  
The run up to the castle was probably the longest I had ever experienced. It felt never ending. When I first spotted the castle, I couldn't help but smile widely, almost laughing out loud in pure glee. It felt reassuring that I now had proof that we were, in fact, actually moving forwards.  
Professor Snape held open the huge oak doors of the castle for me as we reached them, giving me a slight smile as he did. All I could really think about was how messy my hair must've been at the moment. It probably looked like a birds nest! I was too afraid of that to even check. I'd rather live in oblivion of that tiny little detail.  
The secret hallway that lead to the Great Hall was one that I was not familiar with. I had never even taken any particular notice in the painting itself. It was of a very fat wizard eating a great feast of a meal. He had rosy cheeks and close to no hair. If I were to guess, I would probably say that he was from the 1700's. It was very practical that none of the students knew the password, though. I could only guess what it had been like in the past, before the painting had been placed there!

"Password?" The fat wizard hiccuped after taking a huge sip of his goblet.

"Lemon tart." Professor Snape answered, his face looking thence and annoyed.

The painting swung open for us to go through. The hallway behind it was so long that I couldn't even see the end of it. It spooked me out a bit. Luckily it was not one of those scary, tight passages that were usually behind paintings. This one looked just like any other hallway, just much smaller. Maybe three teachers could walk alongside each other in it?  
Professor Snape began walking, this time much slower so that I would have time to regain my breath. Every now and again I would catch him looking down at me with an unreadable expression. It really annoyed me that he was able to read me so easily, but to read him was the definition of impossible. Maybe I would be able to read him too, one day?  
I could see the door now. That dark wooden door that was so familiar, but oh so unfamiliar. I could hear all the people on the other side of it, even as they were completely silent. I could hear sounds of breathing and other small things like that. The two of us stopped just as we arrived at the door.

"You must be quiet as you walk down. Look down on the floor, and don't speak to anyone." Professor Snape informed me, whispering it very quickly into my ear.

"How far are they into the sorting?" I couldn't help myself, I just had to know. His breath tickled against my ear.

"They are only at the J's now, Miss Potter. You have plenty of time, that I can guarantee you." For a short moment, he paused, straightening himself up. "Come to my office after the feast."

I smiled softly at him as I nodded. I could see him straightening parts of his robes, making sure that everything was placed neatly. I guess that he wanted to look even more intimidating. That kind of as his thing, to scare and intimidate his students.

Professor Snape opened the door quickly and took a huge step out into the room. Only a short moment later did I notice that he was signalising for me to follow him, so I entered too, feeling very small as I did. My steps echoes through the room as I walked over to the Slytherin table, and I could hear someone pointing out the blood on my shirt. All I did was to look down onto the floor like instructed, letting my hair hide me. I took the first empty spot I could find, being too nervous to really look too much. This left me sitting closest to the new 1st years.  
Professor McGonagall continued the Sorting just as my bum hit the wooden bench. The look she sent me gave me the chills and I could feel my face growing hot. I didn't really pay much attention to the new 1st years who was being sorted, though, unless they turned out to be Slytherins. If they did, then I would probably have to be blind not to notice them! I was sitting right next to them after all. The first 1st year that managed to really capture my attention was a platina blonde, grey eyed boy who happened to sit down right next to me. My very first impression of him was that he was a very spoiled pureblood. The way that most of the Slytherins looked at him only confirmed my suspicion about him having a high status in the pureblooded world. The way he looked down at everyone else almost made me sick.

"Potter, Harry!" McGonagall called out, reclaiming my full attention at last.

I wasn't the only one that suddenly stared with new found interest. In fact, the whole Great Hall suddenly became quiet as the grave. It was like everyone in the room was holding their breath at once, hoping that Harry would end up in their house. I watched him walk uncertainly up the steps and over to the three legged stool. I remembered that nervousness all too well! My heart began speeding up as McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat onto his head. As it had done with me, the hat glided down and covered half of his face. It brought a small smile to my face.  
The seconds ticked by slowly. Why was it taking such a long time? Suddenly it was past a minute since the hat had touched his head. From my spot at the Slytherin table I could see the soft movement of Harry's lips, almost like he was talking to someone. Who was he talking to? The hat? More talking on Harry's behalf and then, a couple of seconds later, came the wonderful news:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

I was glad that Harry had ended up in Gryffindor. Thrilled actually! It would certainly make his chances at making friends much better than mine in my 1st year! He would probably get a lot of friends and be comfortable around the people of his house, maybe even around the other houses. People would really like him!  
After that I once again began zooming out. None of the other 1st years awoke any interest in me at all. Not one of them. That was why I was so relieved when food appeared on the table. I hadn't eaten since breakfast so eating had been on top of my list of interests for quite a while. Halfway through my mashed potatoes and chicken breast was the next time I was interrupted, this time by the platina blonde 1st year to my right who had begun to boast about himself.

"Back in Malfoy manor we have a great feast like this every day! We don't even have to cook it ourselves. Our house elves does it for us!"

I immediately understood that this boy was that kind of person that I would never ever get along with. Just as he was finished talking, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him. The other first years, on the other hand, looked at the boy like he was some kind of royalty. Maybe it was true? I couldn't really say that I knew much about the hardcore pureblooded traditions and how they treated others. I only knew that many of them lived like old fashioned idiots who thought that they were so much better than other people. The more I thought it over the more I began thinking that it was true. The pureblooded world was pretty messed up after all.  
I looked to my left and down across the table. I really wish that I hadn't. All that met me there was dirty looks from my fellow classmates. I only gave my dorm mates a short look before I saw them turn away whispering and giggling to themselves, most likely about me. This made me turn away quickly. I might know that they were talking about me, but that didn't mean that I was going to watch them do it.

"I can't say that I've ever seen you anywhere before! There is no way that you can be a pureblood." The 1st year boy suddenly sneered.

It was almost like it came from very far away, instead of right beside me. I wanted to slap him so hard! Didn't he have any respect for older students?

"It's because I'm not." I answered simply.

"What are you, then?" he continued with the same pathetic, evil sneer.

"Half-blood, if you must know."

"Ah, I knew I smelled some dirty blood!"

The boy wrinkled his nose as if he smelled something rotten. The people around him began laughing rather loudly. I couldn't help but look down at my plate, before studying the teacher's table to distract myself. One of the teachers there actually shocked me. I had seen him before, in my very 1st year, but I never quite managed to picked up his name. I had for a long time thought that he had resigned, but apparently he had not. He looked more nervous than I could remember him to be and he was wearing a purple turban on top of his head. The teacher sat to professor Snape's right, and I could clearly spot the annoyance in professor Snape's face. I couldn't really blame him.  
For a while all I did was to stare at the new teacher, trying to search my brain for a name to label him with. Out of nowhere he suddenly lifted his head to meet my staring but curious eyes, staring straight back at me. A sharp pain shot through my head, almost making me moan loudly. I averted my eyes from him, instead keeping my head low for the rest of the evening.

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My headache never disappeared, it only grew worse and worse and it felt like someone was poking my brain with a fork. I was unbelievably relieved when people began filing out of the Great Hall. I was on my feet before I could even think, and was actually one of the first Slytherin's to leave. My only thought was to get out. Go anywhere. It was a very strong, indescribable need, but it took up my entire brain, forcing me to fulfil it. I was almost running through the hallways because of that. I didn't even have any idea where I was heading, I just let my legs carry me away from the people I hated so much. My legs were in charge now.  
The only reason I stopped was because I was feeling too dizzy to run anymore. My headache was almost screaming inside my head, and it was probably the main reason why I was dizzy in the first place. It turned out that I had been running towards professor Snape's office. My body slid to the ground heavily, almost like a bag of potatoes, leaning onto his door, waiting for him to arrive. Had I been older I probably would've looked very much drunk!

"I must say that you never really stop to surprise me, Miss Potter."

I snapped my head to the left, finding his slender form standing there in front of me.

"I have the most terrible headache, Sir." I whispered weakly.

Professor Snape had to support me into his office, me being way to foggy to really do anything properly. Very carefully did he help me through his office and all the way over to his secret chambers. He was so strong! Professor Snape didn't even shake slightly as he supported me. I would've though that he would at least show some discomfort about having to bend his back so much, since I really was much shorter than him, but I could not spot anything. Not even on his pale face.

"Sit." he instructed me, gesturing to one of the armchairs in his living room.

And I did, with much pleasure! I could feel the coldness of the dim room as I watched professor Snape lit the torches all around me. He then proceeded to walk over to one of the many cabinets, collecting a small, greyish potion, resembling almost dirty water in my opinion.

"Here, this will help with the headache." he told me softly, handling me the vial.

Many young students at Hogwarts probably would've suspected him to poison them, being very suspicious indeed. Me? No way. I didn't even think twice as I swallowed it. Besides, I had learned from professor Snape that smelling a potion could make swallowing it much worse!  
It took only mere second before I felt it take effect, lightening up my foggy head bit by bit. A small smile spread across my face because of this!

"Thank you!"

The two of us only sat there quietly for several moments, studying each other. I had always found professor Snape quite interesting and his knowledge never failed to surprise me, especially since he was the same age as my parents. I couldn't believe that! My dad and professor Snape the same age?! If he didn't know something already, then it wasn't important enough to know. While the rest of the school hated or disliked him, he was my favorite teacher. He always had been. He understood, always.

"Why are you always so nice to me, sir?" I couldn't help myself asking, I truly wanted to know.

"You have proven to be worth teaching. All the other students are prats and idiots!"

"But you were nice to me even before you knew I was clever, sir."

"Did I?"

"Yes, you did."

My curiosity was slowly building by his sudden silence, eating me up. It was driving me insane!

"You have always had a certain way of capturing my-" he paused. "-interest, Miss Potter." Professor Snape said at last. "You facinate me."

Somehow I couldn't make myself truly believe him. I could detect a very small hint of uncertainness in him. What was it that he wasn't telling me?


	12. Chapter 12

_Yaaaay, I did it! I promised you an update, and here you go :3  
I'm really looking forwards to the future chapters of the story, it's going to be awesome! And to the reviewer who asked about if the school didn't ask about the stuff, my answer is; I guess not. My best guess is that they expect you to tell the school yourself if your kid has any illness or anything like that. And can you really imagine the Dursley's getting mail about everything Harry did at school? I can't. Okay, good to clear it up!  
Continue to review the story, I love getting reviews, they make me jump up and down in delight! Also, please send me a pm is you want to give me any ideas to add to my story, and I'll credit you on the chapter :3 Hope the chapter isn't too bad!_

Hugs and kisses,  
Mattimo

Chapter 12

I got up at the very first sights of morning, getting dressed and hurrying up towards the Great Hall. I knew very well how terribly early it was, and that breakfast hadn't even started, but I really didn't care. The dungeons was darker than usual, my steps echoing with every step. It was creepy to hear nothing but myself! Even the hallway outside the Great Hall was entirely deserted. Everyone was still sound asleep in their beds, cuddling up and having happy dreams...  
I sat down at the very last step on the stairs leading up towards the main staircases, deciding to wait until one of the teachers would unlock the golden doors of the Great Hall. I couldn't wait till school would start later that day, looking most forwards to getting my time table from Professor Snape. All I had to do now was to learn it by heart, and then I'd be ready for whatever life decided to throw at me.

"I'm surprised that a student would be up so early."

I turned around quickly to the direction of the voice. On the top of the stairs I found it, but I hadn't been counting on meeting the person talking. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was studying me curiously through his glasses, his eyes twinkling slightly. I quickly got to my feet when he began descending the stairs.

"Ehm, Good Morning headmaster! Uhm, I-"

"Couldn't sleep Miss Potter?" He shot it, giving me a small smile.

Softly I nodded. I got this weird feeling that he could see right through me, and it made me feel uncomfortable. His piercing blue eyes just gave me that expression. I was nervous, having never been any close to the headmaster before, least of all talked to him! At the moment he looked so very carefree, like he just wanted to take everything in a slow pace. For a moment I wished that I would be able to live like that one day, carefree and in my own tempo.  
The Headmaster unlocked the doors to the Great Hall with only a swish of his hand, leading me inside. I quickly found a good spot on the Slytherin table, satisfied with my own choice. I chose to ignore the urge to grab all the food in my sight, deciding to wait until more people had arrived. Naturally my belly would growl at me countless times, but I ignored it. The people did arrive eventually, though, but for a very long time I was the only Slytherin in the Great Hall. I didn't start to eat before half of the school had turned up. I wanted to be early for my first classes of the day, but not that early.

"You're the Potter girl, right?"

I looked up from my sandwich just to be met with a very familiar but yet unfamiliar face. It was the boy I had talked to under the opening feast of my first year. Marcus Flint, captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team , 5th year. What did he want from me? I was a simple nobody.

"Yes?" I realized that my voice sounded bored, almost annoyed, but I really could care less.

"Hey, I'm-"

"Marcus Flint, Quidditch Captain, 5th year. Yes, I know who you are." Oh, I was such a nerdy know it all sometimes!

"Can I sit here?"

At first I thought that it was some kind of sick joke or maybe even a bet, but as I looked around and found no laughing or staring faces. Even his face was kept entirely serious.

"Yeah, sure. If you want to! But don't you have, like, a lot of friends that follow you around or something?"

Marcus Flint sat down and I swear that I saw relief on his face for a short moment. He began piling food onto his plate immediately.

"Mhm. None of them were ready, so I left them behind." he grinned. I noticed that he still had some very messed up teeth. "-besides! I can't stand the gossip most of the time. You are the only Slytherin that is actually not talking all the bloody time."

Of course, I was only a simple distraction for him. A breakfast table buddy. Still, he was the first to ever consider me an option at all! Even though it was just to look busy and popular.

"So... Goal on getting the Quidditch Cup this year too?" I asked, feeling very stupid.

Marcus swallowed his food before grinning widely.

"Don't I always?"

I couldn't help but to giggle quietly by his goofy behaviour. Something unbelievable then happened. He smiled. Marcus Flint smiled at me. A real smile, not the "yup, I'm popular and cool" smile, but a real and kind one. It lighted up his face as I giggled. Getting one of those felt great! Absolutely wonderful.  
Professor Snape was walking down the Slytherin table now, handling out the timetables. I was so exited that I found it very hard to sit still, which again made Marcus laugh at me.

"Your timetable, Miss Potter." professor Snape handed me the piece of paper with ease, giving me a small, almost invisible smile when he saw my reaction.

"Mr Flint, I expect you to do your very best this year. It is, after all, your most important year. Do not disappoint me."

"No sir." Marcus quickly responded.

My eyes began scanning the timetable immediately. Who wouldn't on the very first day of school? As I got futher and futher down on the page I realized that I could say myself pretty happy about it. I had Herbology first period, followed by Double Potions, soon followed by Anchient Runes (which was one of my new subjects). I said goodbye to Marcus before hurrying downstairs to get my bag and schoolbooks.

On my way down I ended up almost running into my dorm mates who had just left the Common Room. God they were late sometimes! And people wondered why I didn't get along with them? They were messy, gossiping, thick, rich girls. Only our dorm proved that. It was so messy! Clothes and sheets everywhere. And none of them had even bothered to unpack anything like I had. It really amazed me that someone of such high blood status could be so indescribably unorganized.

I grabbed the books for my morning classes and made sure that my bag was all set for another year of school. I also put on my robe this time, seeing that I was actually going outside. The air outside as fresh and a bit chilly. There were still signs of the summer that had just been, but it was slowly fading into fall. The wind was blowing my hair all over the place, which made me regret not having braided my hair again.  
Professor Sprout was already down in the greenhouses when I arrived, which only meant that I didn't need to wait outside. It had always amused me how much professor Sprout loved her job and plants. She acted like her plants were her children. Her passion were devoting, inspiring. Me myself had always been mildly interested in the Herbology subject, seeing that it had so much to do with Potions. Even Professor Snape talked highly of the subject and the teacher. Most of the other Slytherin's thought it to be a waste of time, paining me slightly.

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"Who here can tell me what the main ingredients for the polyjuice potion is?"

Professor Snape's voice was low and dangerous. Half of the class was terrified of him. They were visibly shaking. The other half was just scared of him. I was neither of them. Professor Snape was my favorite teacher of all times. None of the others could really compare. He began walking around the classroom slowly. No one was raising their hands to answer. I was uncertain of the answer myself. In the end I decided that it didn't matter. I wanted to take a chance. It wasn't like he would bite my head off if I was wrong!

"Yes, Miss Potter?"

"Is it... A part of the person you want to turn into? Like, a piece of their skin or hair?"

I sat completely still, hoping that my instinct had once again turned out to be right. He was the one who had asked me to trust my instinct in the first place. A small glimmer appeared in his eyes.

"Correct, Miss Potter! 10 points to Slytherin."

Some of the Gryffindor's in the back of the classroom groaned. They had this crazy idea that every time professor Snape gave a Slytherin a house point he did it only to favour them, never because they were actually right. I knew for a fact that he was a bit lighter on his own in public, but not at all behind his locked office door. I only shook my head lightly, smiling happily to myself for getting it right. My hours of reading finally turned out to be useful.

"And can anyone tell me what makes the polyjuice potion such a difficult potion to make correctly?"

This question was easy. In my opinion it should've been easy enough for the 1st years to understand. My hand flew back up into the air just a second after it was asked. But this time it wasn't me professor Snape called upon.

"Mr Weasley?"

I turned around in my chair, turning my attention to the very back of the classroom where the Weasley twins sat together with a black, Gryffindor boy. I only rolled my eyes, waiting for what stupidity they would spit out next. I absolutely loathed them. The three of them had already done enough to bother professor Snape for a lifetime. I couldn't think of any students at school more annoying than them.

"Is it...-" one of the twin's began, clearly ready to pop with laughter. The other two were giggling like a pair of girls. They were worse than Selena and Emily! "-that the people are so ugly that they are too hard to transform?"

All three of them burst out laughing, clutching their stomach's, barely breathing between their laughing. I secretly hoped that they would suffocate. Most of the other Gryffindor's began smiling or giggling along with them. My eyes snapped to professor Snape, trying to read him. I saw it clear as day. The look he was giving them would've killed them if looks could kill, it was the most deadly glare I have ever seen!

"ENOUGH!"

The classroom became quiet as the grave. Everyone except the three of them, at least, who was still giggling to themselves. All of us Slytherin's knew very well what was coming and was already waiting for professor Snape's deadly doom. Even I did, even though not quite as happily.

"_Fi-fty _points from Gryffindor." Became their punishment. Lucky for them that they didn't get detention, again. "But," professor Snape continued, putting very much pressure on the word. "Next time you dare to disturb my classes it will be detention, and I swear, I'll make sure you both have detention each day until Graduation."

Professor Snape's angry voice always gave me shivers. Still, they did deserve it! They bothered him in almost each potions class since our first day at school in our 1st year.  
He turned around on the spot. No one dared to say a word. From what I could see and hear, some of my classmates didn't even dare to breath normally. All I could really think of was how nobody had really answered his question. An idea hit me. Would it lighten his mood a bit if I answered his question correctly? I hoped so. Uncertainly I raised my hand again. Several of my Slytherin class mates motioned for me to take my hand down, but I didn't listen to them. Professor Snape was standing by his desk, his back to the class. The seconds went by, beating my hopes slightly as he never acknowledged me at all. I knew him well enough to know that he saw me. He knew I had raised my hand.

"Yes, Miss Potter? Do share with us what is bothering you."

"I don't wish to come with a question, sir."

Professor Snape paused, before turning around, his robes swishing as he did. Very slowly did he approach my table at the front of the class. Most of the students at the school would get terrified by this, to me it only made me a bit nervous. He then bent down, his palms placed firmly on the table, his face on level with mine.

"Then what, Miss Potter?" professor Snape almost whispered to me, one eyebrow raised. Because of the quietness of the classroom I knew that everyone could hear him.

"An answer, to your question."

He leaned back slightly. I had gotten him interested now, I could see it. The interest was clear in his eyes. With his left hand he motioned for me to continue.

"The reason why so many fail to make a proper polyjuice potion is because they are not precise enough with their ingredients."

Satisfied with myself, I smiled widely when professor once again awarded me 10 house points. I really did love potions.

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Now it was happening. I was walking through the hallways, up to the 6th floor. Ancient Runes was next. The only other Slytherin I knew of who would be taking the subject was one of the boys, Adrian Pucey. Luckily, he was the only other Slytherin that I actually tolerated. I hadn't actually talked to him before, but at least he hadn't been a part of the group that had been bullying and making fun of me. All I really knew about him was that he was on the Slytherin Quidditch team and that his father was a half-blood. Funny how much you suddenly learn about people's blood status when you are in Slytherin.  
As I approached the Ancient Runes classroom, 6A, I got to scan the other people who would be my classmates in the subject. Two Gryffindor's, Charles Hollingberry and Lisa Porter, 4 Ravenclaw's; Adam Well, Jacob Sunleaf, Grace Bailey and Rebecca Bennett, and two Hufflepuff's; Benjamin Walters and Adeleid Otter. A great mix if I was going to be completely honest. Our teacher, Bathsheba Babbling, arrived close to 10 minutes after the school bell had rung. Somehow that really annoyed me more than it should.

"If you would all just take a seat? Thank you. Welcome, welcome! It always delights me when I get the list of my new students, new faces is always nice to have. Well, I'll just have to check if everyone found their way."

She called us all out one by one, actually doing it twice, just to watch us all reply. I couldn't really see the point in it. She didn't really seem like the teacher that would easily remember her students names.

"In this class I will teach you to read the runes, translate them and understand them. We will also focus on the history of the runes themselves. I can guarantee you that you will never regret taking this subject!"

I smirked softly to myself as I collected my books and a sheet of paper to write on. In the wizarding world people would usually use parchment to write on, but I really preferred writing notes in my note book. It was easier to keep a good order of the notes that way.  
Professor Babbling began her lesson with teaching us the main story of the most commonly used runes, of how our ancestors had used them as writings in the older days and where it really came from. This year we would focus on the history, numbers from 0 to 9 and several basic expressions and words. Didn't sound so hard at all! I thought that the subject would be just perfect for me. I had longed for a subject that actually challenged me, and here it was!

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Oh, couldn't they just shut up? Why did they always have the need to talk so much, it was annoying!  
I had been a bit later than usual for lunch. Me and professor Babbling had stopped to share our delight about the oncoming year, and we actually stayed behind for 15 minutes. This all made me get late, forcing me to take one of the only spots left at the Slytherin table, just beside Mira, Joan and Alexandra, my dorm mates. All they ever did was talking about boys, fashion and blood status. Of couse, none of them were really that bright, barely managing an Acceptable in most subjects. A good thing for all those pureblooded men that wanted to stay the dominant one and be old fashioned I guess. I even tried to block them out, but in vain. The whole ended up in me eating, constantly sending helpless glances at professor Snape and me moaning into my food. Even though I got there very late, I still left loooong before the three of them. I still had my high hopes about the year, though! It was going to be very though, yup, but I really had the feeling like it was going to work out. I had a good feeling about the year. I knew it was going to be great, troublesome, but great.


End file.
